The first time I heard the word "minimalist" was several years ago when we lived in Michigan. Someone once told me a story that began with, "Back when I was going through a minimalist period . . ." I was instantly intrigued, thought about it often but never took action.
In January of 2008 (wow, I can't believe it's been that long) we moved our family of three from our 1400 sq. ft. house in MI to a 850 sq. ft. apartment. It was necessary to pare down our belongings. We couldn't fit everything into the apartment. We went through everything we owned and were left with only what would fit (okay, cram) into 850 sq. ft.
We felt no loss at this point. While we do love stuff, we felt no particular attachment to the things we were leaving behind.
After that first big sweep of our earthly possessions, things went a little downhill. I discovered a thrift store within walking distance to our apartment and Target was a mere mile away. Many things entered our home that we didn't need or want. I was bored, so I shopped. I cringe when I think of all the money I wasted! At the time, I wasn't all that fussed over the extra clutter. We had more storage than we thought and I was just happily filling it up!
After baby number 2 arrived, we were starting to feel a little crammed. We started the de-cluttering process again. It felt like a breath of fresh air. It didn't last long. I just kept bringing more things into the house. I apparently couldn't control the urge to fill up the empty space.
Shortly after our daughter turned one (and we found out baby #3 was on the way!), we discovered something that really changed our lives. It was a monumental discovery for our family and has changed the way we think about everything. Read all about it in Part 2.
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